Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia and Vietnam agreed to carry out cooperation in the fishery sector, Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono stated on Friday.

"God Willing, the synergy between Indonesia and Vietnam will bring about progress in the fishery sector of the two like-minded countries," Trenggono noted in a statement received from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry in Jakarta.

The minister made the statement after exchanging fishery cooperation documents with Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, Le Minh Hoan, at the Vietnamese Presidential Palace, Hanoi City.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his Vietnamese counterpart, Vo Van Thuong, witnessed the exchange of documents.

Minister Trenggono explained that the fishery cooperation encompasses various aspects, from the upstream to downstream sectors, including the development of sustainable fishery cultivation, quality and safety assurance of fishery products, as well as trade and promotion of such products.

He further noted that Indonesia and Vietnam had also agreed to work together to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing while boosting the capacity of fishery human resources and exchanging fishery data, technology, and experts.

"One of the points of this cooperation is related to the development of lobster cultivation in Indonesia," he remarked.

The minister then expressed optimism about the fishery cooperation solidifying the productivity of both countries' fishery sector while affirming that the cooperation is a testament to the countries' commitment to fighting illegal fishing activities that harm their ecology and economy.

"I believe that in the future, Indonesia will be able to play an important role in the world's lobster supply chain. This cooperation is highly expected to lead the two countries into becoming fishery champions in Southeast Asia," he concluded.

According to data from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, the total value gained from Indonesian fishery exports to Vietnam had reached US$126.5 million in 2023.

Indonesia's main exported fishery commodities to Vietnam include squid, cuttlefish, octopus, tuna, seaweed, and shrimp.

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